Ventilated wardrobe



Oct. l, 1968 R. HUBER 3,403,613

VENT ILAT ED WARDROBE Filed Oct. 3l, 1966 FIGA INVENTOR. R/c/M/Qp H0352 Arron/vens' United States Patent O 3,403,613 VENTILATED WARDROBE Richard Huber, 853 Rincon Lane, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. 90274 Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,579 5 Claims. (Cl. 98-39) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A ventilated wardrobe including an air duct with an electric fan disposed therein. The fan is actuated by a switch biased to its closed position and switched to its open position by closing the wardrobe door whereby the wardrobe is ventilated each time the door is opened for the period the door is maintained opened.

The present invention relates generally to wardrobes and more particularly to a new and novel ventilated wardrobe.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a wardrobe having means for forcing fresh air into the clothes storage area and for circulating fresh air to expel the stale air.

Another object is to provide a wardrobe of the aforedescribed nature in which the fresh air moving means s automatically actuated when the wardrobe door is opened.

Still another object is to provide a wardrobe of the aforedescribed nature having a light that is operative in response to the door being opened.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wardrobe having walls that form a clothes storage space, one of which walls includes a door. Fresh air is introduced to the clothes storage space through an air duct that extends from the clothes storage space to a fresh air source, with air being forced through the air duct and circulated throughout the clothes storage space by an electric motor-powered blower that is mounted in the duct. Wiring is provided for supplying electrical power to the blower, including a switch that is biased into the closed position and that is openable in response to closing of the door.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a preferred form of wardrobe embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken in enlarged scale along the line 2 2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken in enlarged scale along the line 3 3 of FIG. 1 and showing the wardrobe door in the closed position;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional View, also taken along the lines 33 of FIG. 1, but showing the door partially opened; and

FIG. 5 is an electric circuit that may be employed with said wardrobe.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred form of wardrobe embodying the present invention broadly comprises front, back, end, top and bottom walls 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19, respectively, forming a storage space 21. The front wall 11 defines a door opening 23 and slidable doors are supported in that opening. An air duct 27 extends from the upper wall 17 to the atmosphere. Preferably, duct 27 will extend through the roof 29 of the building in which the wardrobe is installed.

The lower end of duct 27 is connected to a blower chamber 31 and an electric motor-powered blower 33 is supported in that chamber. It will be clear that the blower 33 could be supported within the run of the duct 27 and rice that the duct could form a Y leading to two wardrobes located adjacent one another.

A liuorescent light 35 is supported on the front wall 11 of the wardrobe and both the light and the blower 33 are actuated by conventional electric switches 37 supported in the edges of the wall 11 defining the sides of the door opening 23. The switches 37 are biased into their closed position and are urged into an open position by the doors 15 being closed and abutting thereagainst.

More particularly, and referring now to FIG. 2, the front wall 11 of the wardrobe is actually a wall of the room wherein the wardrobe is installed. A horizontal track 39 is supported by the wall 11 forming the upper edge of the opening 23, and the doors 15 include dollies 41 which are rollingly carried by the track 39 to support the doors 25.

The switches 37 are supported in the edges of the wall 11 defining the sides of the opening 23. The switches include actuating buttons 43 that are spring-biased outwardly and into the closing path of the doors 15. Thus, when the doors 25 are moved into their closed position in abutting relationship with the sides of the opening 23 the actuating buttons 43 a-re depressed and the switches 37 opened.

'Ihe top wall 17 of the wardrobe is defined by an extension of the ceiling of the adjoining room, which ceiling is supported from joints 45. A half shelf 47 extends horizontally from the back wall 13 and rests on shelf supports 49. A coat hanger rod 51 is disposed below the shelf 47 and is supported from the end walls 15.

The blower chamber 31 extends downwardly through the upper wall 17 and terminates in an opening 46 that is approximately intermediate the forward edge of the shelf 47 and the forward Wall 11. Thus, the incoming air is -forced downwardly past the front edge of the shelf 47 and into the lower portion of the clothes storage area 21 to effect air circulation throughout the entire wardrobe interior.

The blower 33 is powered by an electric motor 53 and is supported in the blower chamber 31 by mounting brackets 55. A suitable electric circuit for the light 35 and blower motor 53 is shown in FIG. 5. Referring thereto, the motor 53 and light 35 are connected in parallel with each other and in series with an AC power source. The positive source lead 60 is connected to the positive motor 53 terminal land the negative terminal is connected in series with the manual switch I61 by the lead `62 which is connected to one pole thereof. The other pole of the switch 61 is connected to the side of the parallel switch circuit `64 comprised of the lead 65 by the lead 63. The manual switch 61 is mounted on the exterior of the wall 11 Afor access from the adjoining room. The lead `60 is also connected to the positive terminal of the light 35 and the negative terminal is connected with the switch circuit 64 via the lead `66.

The door-actuated switches 37 are connected in parallel with the negative leads `63 and 66 and the negative power source lead 67. More specifically, the lead 65 is connected between the positive poles of the switches 37 and the lead 67 is connected between the negative poles. Thus, the circuit through the motor 53 and light 35 can be completed by either of the switches 37 being closed.

As noted previously, the switch plungers 69 are carried on the actuating buttons 43 and are biased into their closed position by compression springs 68. Since the buttons 43 are disposed in the closing path of the doors 25, the switches 37 will be automatically opened whenever both of the doors 25 are closed and the respective switch will ybe automatically closed whenever the associated door is opened.

The downwardly-facing blower chamber 31 is covered by a damper `54. The damper 54 comprises slats 56 that are carried pivotally at 57 from a conventional jalousie type frame 58. The actuating handle'59 cooperates With the slide bar 71 to form a toggle type latch for locking the slats in their overlapping closed position. With this arrangement, on damp days the damper 54 can be closed to prevent dampness and moisture from being introduced through the air duct 27 and into the wardrobe.

From the foregoing it will be clear that `when the manual switch `61 is closed and either of the wardrobe doors 25 is opened the blower 33 will be actuated to draw fresh air into the contines of the wardrobe and circulate it thoroughly throughout the storage space 21. Since wardrobes are generally opened several times each day the air trapped therein will be replaced several times throughout the day and the clothes contained therein will be maintained in a fresh environment. Consequently, the clothes will not take on a musty odor and the fresh environment will discourage moth infestation. Thus, an effective means is provided for automatically maintaining a fresh environment in the storage space 21.

In addition the storage area will be automatically illuminated by the light 35 every time one of the doors 25 is opened. Such illumination can be obtained even when it is desirable to not have the blower 33 functioning by :merely opening the switch `61.

Various modifications and changes may be made with respect to the aforedescribed preferred embodiment Iwithout departing from the spirit of the present invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A ventilated wardrobe, comprising:

a closure having walls defining a clothes storage space and a door opening;

a door supported within said opening;

an air duct in communication on one end with the storage space and on the opposite end with an ambient a1r source;

a -blower for blowing ambient air through the duct and into said storage space to curculate the stale air in the storage space and expel it out said opening,

an electric motor driving said blower;

electric wiring for connecting said motor to a power source;

electric switch means operably connected to said wirin g,

said electric switch means being -biased to its closed position and having a plunger that is biased into the closing path of said door, said plunger causing said switch means to be closed when said door is opened.

2. A ventilated wardrobe as dened in claim 1, wherein;

an electric light is supported within said storage space and from one of said walls; and

electric wiring connects said light to said Switch.

3. A ventilated wardrobe as defined in claim 1 wherein a manual switch means is Operably connected with said wiring for overcontrolling said first switch means.

4. A wardrobe as defined in claim 1, that includes a damper lfor controlling the flow of air through said duct.

5. A Wardrobe as dened in Vclaim 1 that includes a shelf extending horizontally from one wall of said storage space, and wherein said duct is communicative on the said one end with said storage space in a vertical plane intermediate the extending edge of the shelf and the wall opposite said one wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,679 9/1937 Kuntz 98-43 1,800,237 4/1931 Williams 984-39 X 1,893,900 1/1933 McClintock 98-33 1,979,072 10/1934 Kuntz 20G-61.62 X 2,984,718 5/1961 Fish ZOO- 61.74 X

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primary Examiner.

W. E. WAYNER, Assistant Examiner. 

